Congressional Resolution Recognizes CTE Educators and Work-based Learning
This week, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) recognized Career Technical Education (CTE) by introducing a bipartisan resolution highlighting the impact of CTE teachers and work-based learning coordinators. The resolution, unanimously adopted by the Senate, underscores Congress’s recognition that teachers and educators are essential to high-quality CTE and are critical for connecting learners to opportunities that prepare them for success in both the classroom and the workforce. The resolution was supported by a broad group of senators from both parties, further reinforcing bipartisan interest in and support for CTE’s positive impact. Read more about the resolution celebrating CTE educators here.
Encourage your Senators and Representatives to support the CTE Month resolution by clicking here.
Broad, bipartisan support across both chambers continues to demonstrate growing congressional recognition of CTE’s value to learners, employers, and the nation’s economy. Advance CTE is pleased to endorse these resolutions and looks forward to more collaboration with the 119th Congress to promote and support high-quality CTE.
ED Publishes Long-Awaited IES Next Steps Report
Following significant funding and staffing cuts at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) last year, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) published a long-awaited report with recommendations for IES’s future. As a reminder, the Trump administration terminated nearly $1 billion in federal support for education research and evaluation that negatively impacted critical research on CTE mandated by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). Advance CTE shared significant concerns about these actions last year.
The report, Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences, was prepared by former ED Senior Advisor Dr. Amber Northen and, among several recommendations, calls for IES to concentrate its grantmaking efforts on 3-5 high-priority national focus areas– explicitly identifying CTE, alongside reading, mathematics, and college and career readiness as areas to focus. However, the report does not address next steps for the congressionally mandated national evaluation of Perkins V and CTE, which was initially scheduled for publication later this year. The report further proposes streamlining many IES functions, including prioritizing research and evaluation efforts with direct applicability to state and local educators and policymakers.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has received these formal recommendations and has indicated that the Department looks forward to considering them as part of future IES restructuring efforts. Read more here.
Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Process Begins
On Wednesday, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) released guidance for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations process, opening the submission period for programmatic, language, and Community Project Funding requests. House members can now start submitting requests through the committee’s portal, and subcommittee-level guidance is expected to follow soon.
The guidance outlines how members can propose funding for specific programs, suggest policy language for appropriations bills, and seek funding for local community projects that meet federal requirements. As previously reported, Perkins V received level funding from the federal government in the previous appropriations cycle.
On Tuesday evening, President Trump delivered the annual State of the Union address to Congress. While President Trump did not specifically call out CTE beyond a brief reference to artificial intelligence (AI), the State of the Union signals executive branch priorities that are likely to appear in the President’s budget request ahead of the congressional appropriations process. That request typically comes not long after this annual address to Congress.
Advance CTE will continue to monitor the early stages of the appropriations process and advocate for robust federal investment in CTE.
House Hearing on Teaching and Artificial Intelligence
On Tuesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing titled “Building an AI-Ready America: Teaching in the Age of AI”. The hearing explored how AI is reshaping classroom instruction, with discussions of potential benefits, such as reducing administrative burden for teachers, and challenges, including concerns about academic integrity and preparedness. Throughout the hearing, lawmakers and witnesses emphasized the importance of providing educators with guidance to prepare their classrooms and schools to effectively integrate AI tools that improve learning outcomes while maintaining academic rigor. Click here to watch the hearing.
ED Announces Additional Interagency Agreements
This week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced two additional interagency agreements (IAAs) that expand partnerships with other federal agencies and shift responsibilities away from ED as part of its ongoing effort to “break up the federal education bureaucracy”. One of the IAAs shifts education programs from ED to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to help administer school safety and family engagement programs, including Project SERV, Full-Service Community Schools, Ready to Learn, and statewide family engagement centers. These agreements come amid previous IAAs and reflect the department’s broader strategy to streamline federal education functions and coordinate program delivery across agencies. Click here to view ED’s landing page regarding the IAAs.
DOL Announces Grants for Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
This week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced approximately $81 million in grant funding through the Reentry Employment in Skills Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, Registered Apprenticeships, and Training (RESTART) initiative. The funds are available to help formerly incarcerated individuals gain skills and secure employment in high-demand fields and will fund up to 20 projects nationwide, with priority for organizations focused on shipbuilding and partnerships with apprenticeship sponsors. The grants support job training, work-based learning, credential attainment, and paid work experience designed to strengthen reentry pathways and reduce recidivism. Applications are now open through April 15. Read more about the RESTART initiative here.
DOL Opens New Data Portal
Last week, DOL launched a new open data portal, intended to modernize access to labor market information and workforce data across the department. The portal replaces a former enforcement data page and features more datasets, improved transparency, and public-use tools. It includes data from multiple DOL agencies and will be updated regularly, with plans to enhance searchability and expand available information over time, potentially including program data from the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Read more about the new DOL data portal here.
